Inspiring Impact has launched a guide to successful shared impact measurement practice in the charity sector as it says such an approach is necessary to effectively tackle complex social issues.

The Blueprint for shared measurement, written by NPC, says if organisations working in a similar field commit to shared measurement it can lead to benefits such as saving time and resources, reducing duplication and understanding of what interventions work best for different social issues.

The report includes examples of shared measurement in the charity sector and identifies key factors which create a successful shared measurement approach, including a strong leader and the right technology to make measurement tools user friendly and accessible.

Eibhlin Ni Ogain, NPC consultant and author of the report, said:

"Most complex social issues, such as homelessness or anti-social behaviour, cannot be solved by one initiative working in isolation. Instead we find an ecosystem of organisations operating in a particular field, contributing to shared aims. However all too often impact measurement in this context is not carried out in a consistent and comparable way, preventing us from seeing if positive change has occurred, and learning about  which approaches work best. 

"For too long the sector has missed out on the rich opportunities offered by shared measurement. It may not be easy to identify all the players in an ecosystem, and collaboration and the question of what to measure can also present challenges. It is also important to strike the right balance between standardisation and flexibility, and we know that for shared measurement to work in practice, we need to  have common measures that are meaningful and relevant to organisations using them.

"We  hope that people use this Blueprint, and the lessons within it, to promote shared measurement across the charity sector, and we are keen to hear people’s feedback on their experiences of using the report."